Matthew Curry

ARTIST STATEMENT Matthew Curry was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1975. He grew up between Detroit, MI, and Wilmington, DE. Having majored in Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design, he is currently a twice Grammy nominated designer, illustrator, painter, and the principal of his award winning design studio in Washington DC. Matthew Curry draws inspiration from mythology and religious iconography; landscape paintings and street art; graphics and cartoons; Edo art and beats. He serves up layered landscapes haunted with anatomical and figurative juxtapositions in which the playful and sinister coexist. Behind abstract and aggressive marks, quiet bouts may be discovered. Poetic hiccoughs. As his interest lies in exploring different methods of representation within his own work, the process itself becomes Curry’s narrative of choice. With several works going at once, he hits them up randomly, whether through the course of a week or even years. The result mimics the layering that occurs on surfaces of an urban environment. Over time, his use of strong iconography and mark making has grown into a library of icons that serve as his own typeset. It enables him to investigate multiple approaches to create cohesive and non-cohesive narratives which are ever evolving, unpredictable, and without doubt, intriguing. “I don’t ever feel satisfied with painting. It makes me mad. It makes me happy. It’s a constant question,” explains the artist. The visual language Matthew Curry has developed is easily recognizable on album and magazine covers, limited edition products, and in galleries and venues worldwide.